Two new projects chronicling the brutal lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Louis Till and its aftermath are officially in the works.

On the 65th anniversary of Till’s tragic death, ABC announced they’ve teamed up with Jay-Z and Will Smith to produce Women of the Movement, a limited series that will focus on Emmett’s mother Mamie Till Mobley and her pursuit for justice after her son’s murder.

Inspired by Devery S. Anderson‘s book Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement, the six-episode series is set to debut in 2021. The first episode will be directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, who recently helmed the Netflix action film The Old Guard.

Meanwhile, the story of Emmet Till is also expected to hit the big screen.

According to Deadline, Chinonye Chukwu, who became the first Black woman to receive the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival for her film Clemency, has been tapped to helm the new film.

Like the aforementioned series, the film will center on the relentless pursuit of justice by Till’s mother, Mamie Till Mobley. It will be based on the “extensive research” of award-winning documentarian Keith Beauchamp and his relationship with Till’s family.

Whoopi Goldberg, who serves as one of the film’s producers, noted the timeliness of the film.

“Today the return of open racism reminds us that the real danger is in NOT telling Emmett Till’s story,” she said. “Chinonye Chukwu taking the helm as our director is an opportunity for us to step forward artfully and without fear to tell the truth. We could not be in better hands.”

Till was just 14 years old when he was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of whistling at a white woman.

Production on the film is set to start in 2021.

By Candice Williams
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